The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons, recently ranked number four on Adventure magazine's list of top 100 classics, is legendary pioneer John Wesley Powell's first-person account of his crew's unprecedented odyssey along the Green and Colorado Rivers and through the Grand Canyon. A bold foray into the heart of the American West's final frontier, the expedition was achieved without benefit of modern river-running equipment, supplies, or a firm sense of the region's perilous topography and the attitudes of the native inhabitants towards whites.

What started as a scientific exploration of uncharted territory quickly turned into a harrowing quest for sustenance and survival. Shaped from Powell's original field writings, this book is as exciting today as it was when first published in 1874. This handsome new edition from National Geographic Adventure Classics also features an exclusive introduction by adventure historian Anthony Brandt that puts into perspective Powell's achievement and traces its great legacy across United States history.